During the course of our conversation, she revealed she had written a paper about the performance to fulfill a class assignment. I told her I would LOVE to read the paper and put it on the blog. She graciously gave her permission, so the paper is shown below in it’s entirety.

Here’s a great video from that same college orientation performance:

Erick Kand’s Hypnosis Show

Rhetorical Analysis – by Tonya Brown

In a world full of scams and con-artists it makes sense that the world has become a very skeptical place. I used to think I wasn’t a skeptic, I would trust people and accept ideas openly and yet now as I’ve grown up I tend to want a little more proof before believing anyone’s ideas that are outside of my own. This is what makes it hard for people like Erick Kand to make a living. As a comedy hypnosis presenter this man has to take rooms full of people and make them believe in something that they don’t see every day; Hypnosis. Not too long after I began the semester I attended Erick’s show at Falk Theater, at first I had very little interest but my roommates had convinced me it would be fun and sure enough they were right.

The night started off as one would expect. Erick came on stage, shoulders back and head held high, wearing a suit; it really gave him an air of authority. After introducing himself he told the audience what to expect from him and the next hour. He gave us facts and statistics, and when your show is on something not many people believe in, giving facts helps the presentation. The audience was filled with what seemed to be new students, freshman, and transfers. The theater was packed and everyone seemed to be very excited about the show. When he brought the volunteers onstage he began to try to hypnotize them, more than half, and actually most, went under very easily. This makes me wonder if some of the students acted as if they were under to appear more intelligent. Despite the large group on stage the audience watched in anticipation as Erick seemed to be able to control these hypnotized students. He had them act out funny scenarios usually making the entire audience burst out into laughter. The girl next to me told me that she didn’t believe at all that it was real, she thought it wouldn’t be fun, and yet she ended up enjoying herself more than anyone else. I have to give credit to Erick, the presenter, for making her such a believer.

Erick was able to make us feel comfortable and with his fun comedy he seemed to relax not only the audience but the volunteers as well. Time flew by as the show went on and the more we watched the more we all believed. He was so confident and at ease with what he was doing that it seemed to come second nature for him and that made us only believe more. As a presenter he had complete control over the audience and volunteers, he was able to perform his show with grace and ease. At the end of the presentation Erick concluded with telling us about his website and his store where we can buy his hypnosis tapes, everything from quitting smoking to having a better memory. By the end of the show I went from a complete skeptic to a believer. When he got up on stage it seemed like he knew he would have to convince a few people to believe in what he was doing. He gave facts and figures to show that this isn’t just something he created himself, and he never held back. Erick’s confidence, ease, voice, and appearance as well as his amazing presentation made him such a joy to watch. I know that if he ever came back to the area I would more than likely attend a show of his again.

Searching for College Orientation Ideas?

Find out how to add the Erick Kand Comedy Hypnosis Show to your Welcome Week or College Orientation activities. Click here to get the details on campus entertainment that will have your students laughing out loud!